Wanted
by LDT5413
Summary: Special Agent Donald Ressler had one mission: to prove to Elizabeth Keen that she was wanted. Not by the Cabal for their own gain or by Raymond Reddington for her smarts or connections, but by him for her beauty, her bravery, and her kind heart. Join Agent Ressler as he begins his chase to prove his loyalty and love to the one person he values most.


**AN: So I'm loving The Blacklist at the moment…well I always have, but my God this season is just insane. So here's to hoping that Ressler is in fact the father; we know that the writers make things obvious on purpose. Besides, it would be his second chance at having a child. So let me know what you guys think: read, review, PM me with anything Blacklist related if you want. I'm super friendly.**

Darkness surrounded her as she lay in pain, breathing deeply, trying to process everything the doctor had told her; trying to work out dates and figure out the quick math that would reveal everything she needed to know. She breathed in deep, but winced as her ribs began to ache and throb with the simple action. She opened her eyes and blinked at the bright lights glaring at her from the white ceiling. She moved her head to the left and her breath caught when she saw a tall figure stretched out on a chair next to her bed. Her tired eyes raked over the strawberry blonde hair, ruffled from sleep; long muscular legs stretched out, as if the chair didn't accommodate his height; and the blanket that barely covered his tall frame. She smiled softly as her mind became bombarded with images of when Ressler was sleeping in her bed looking peaceful and satisfied. Her smile faded when her mind jumped to the present and all of the decisions that lay ahead. She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts just as a nurse came in to give her the pain medication that would let her sleep peacefully.

As soon as the nurse shut the door Ressler rolled over and blinked rapidly, trying to gage his surroundings. His eyes took in the plain white walls, the boring décor on the walls, and the plain blinds that shut out any natural light. His eyes zeroed in on the bed beside him, taking in every detail of the young woman laying between the sheets. He sighed as he remembered a different time when he watched her as she lay beneath a different set of sheets. He shook his head as he stood to stretch out his back and legs, trying not to make too much noise. His efforts proved futile as the squeak of his shoes caused Liz's eyes to flutter open. As their eyes connected, gravity pushed them together. Forgetting his aching back and throbbing thigh he was beside her in seconds.

He smiled gently as his hand found hers on top of the blanket. "Hey there Keen, glad to see you awake."

She swallowed roughly before nodding gently. "Yeah. I feel like I've been ran over by a semi; probably look like it to."

His hand that wasn't holding onto Liz tightened on the railing at the reminder of what had happened. He took in her swollen and bruised face, wishing that he could take away her pain. He closed his eyes trying not to think of what he would do when he found the person responsible. When he opened them, he noticed Liz looking thoughtful as if she had something on her mind. He raised a hand and gently ran a finger up her arm. The action caused Liz to glance at Ressler with determined eyes. He watched as Liz swallowed before locking eyes with him.

His instinct told him that she had to tell him something important so he smiled encouragingly at her. "Whatever you have to tell me Liz, just tell me."

She took in a shaky breath and uttered words that would change everything. "I'm pregnant." She heard his intake of breath and pushed forward with the rest before she lost her nerve. "You're the father Ress."

His mind took him back to before she went on the run with Reddington, before she was forced to flee from him, before dynamics changed between them. Flashes of soft skin and low moans came to the forefront of his memory. He felt a swelling in his chest at the prospect of a having a baby. Granted it was a hell of a lot sooner than he thought, but in that moment none of it mattered. The only thing that mattered now was that Liz knew she wasn't alone.

He smiled at her before he traced gentle fingers down her swollen face, forcing her to look at him. "Liz, I'm not going anywhere, I'm not leaving you." He leaned down and gently placed a kiss on her forehead before pulling back with serious eyes. "In that box, I promised that I would protect you and I'm going to do that; whatever it takes." He took a deep breath and smiled. "You and our baby is my top priority Liz."

She took in a shaky breath before closing her eyes. "Ressler, we can't just have a baby. I mean look at me. I'm in the hospital because someone beat me, thinking I'm a terrorist. Just imagine how my life will affect this baby."

Ressler sighed, trying not to think too much of Liz's ideas, knowing that it was just the fear talking. "I've never been one to care about what people thought or said about me." He breathed in deep, knowing that Liz would need time to process and think things through logically. "We're in this together Keen." He took a deep breath and reassured her again with a smile before pushing forward. "I'm behind you with whatever you decide." He shrugged before leaning back in his chair with a crooked grin. "We are partners after all."

She knew that the term partners went beyond their work titles and relations just by the way he said it, the way he looked at her. She sighed before turning to Ressler again wanting to talk more of the future, but was cut off by Ressler leaning over her to push the call button. "Sleep Liz. I'll be here when you wake up." To clarify he leaned down to kiss her softly on the cheek before pulling back to smile. "I promise."

He watched as she drifted to sleep. He leaned forward and hesitantly placed his hand on her belly, wanting to see if he could feel anything. His breath hitched when he felt a small bump where there hadn't been weeks prior. He smiled softly allowing himself to hope for a moment before the silence was shattered by his ringing cell phone.

He scowled as he pulled his hands away from Liz to search for his phone. He pulled the device from his suit jacket and groaned when Reddington's number appeared on the screen. He flipped it open and readied himself for a battle of wits before answering. "This is Ressler."

A low chuckle sounded from the line, causing Ressler to grit his teeth. "I know it is Donald. How's our girl doing?"

He sighed, rolling his eyes before shrugging, not wanting to give too much away. "She's doing okay; as good as can be expected with broken ribs."

He heard a hum of approval before the criminal spoke again. "Good. So you can step out for a little while then."

Ressler shifted before shaking his head. "Not a chance in hell Reddington; I'm not leaving."

"Well then I guess I'll have to do away with the one responsible for Lizzie's unfortunate incident on my own."

Ressler's fist clenched before he shook his head, waring with the want and need to make the bastard pay. He eyed Liz, who was sleeping peacefully and felt his jaw tighten in determination. He ran a hand through his hair before grabbing his jacket. "Tell me where you are." He paused to kiss Liz's head and place his hand protectively on her abdomen before pulling away. "I need to be back in an hour Reddington."

A low laugh sounded from the line before the sound of a door opened sounded through. "Of course you do. Dembe will watch over Lizzie until you get back Donald."

The call cut off just as Ressler's phone buzzed with an incoming text message from Reddington with the address. Once he was situated in the SUV he put the address into his phones' GPS and tore through the streets of DC. He pulled up to an abandoned warehouse on the edge of the city and killed the engine before climbing out and slamming the door. He made his way into the large building with his gun drawn out of habit. He breathed out slowly when he came face to face with Raymond Reddington.

The older man looked impeccable in a three piece suit and his infamous fedora; even in an old run down warehouse. Ressler lowered his gun just as Reddington began to walk forward. "Nice to see you Donald."

Ressler huffed before holstering his gun. "I wish I could say the same."

"Don't be a pouty baby Donald."

Ressler locked eyes with the older man and wondered if he knew about the baby. He eyed the man's wide smile and had a feeling that he knew more than he was letting on. He pushed his instinct to the side before moving forward. "Okay Reddington, I'm here so let's get this over with."

"So eager to let loose Donald. Patience is a virtue, hasn't anyone ever told you that?"

He swallowed roughly when he remembered Liz uttering those exact words to him just before she shoved him down onto his bed to kiss him. He shook the image of Liz on top of him out of his mind as he rolled his eyes. "Yes, but I need to get back to Liz. So if we could hurry this along that would be great."

Reddington shrugged as he led the FBI agent towards the back of the warehouse. They stopped at an old rusty door before Reddington opened it with a flourish. Ressler pretended not to see Mr. Kaplan and her crew in the wings of the large building, waiting to clean up the mess that he and Reddington were about to make. As he stepped into the dark room, the shadows cloaked the figure in the center of the small space. In an instant rage filled his veins and clouded his thoughts. A need to defend and protect sprung forward and pushed him to lunge at the man tied to the chair.

He wrapped his hands around the guy's neck and shoved as hard as he could. As the man toppled over Ressler smirked, before placing his foot on the man's chest. He leaned down and locked his fury filled eyes with dark dull ones. His voice low and demanding as he broke the silence. "If you want to hit someone, hit me, not the mother of my unborn child."

He ignored Reddington's cough of surprise as he pushed the chair right side up. He walked around and untied the man's hands before forcing him to stand up. "Now, let's see who wins this one tough guy."

Thirty minutes later Ressler only felt a bit better even if his knuckles were throbbing. As he stepped out of the warehouse he felt Reddington's presence behind him. He rose his eyebrow as if expecting Reddington to say something, anything about what had happened. A beat passed when he proved Ressler right.

His voice was crisp and precise as he smiled wide. "You're going to be an amazing father Donald."

Ressler glanced at the ground and his eyes caught the sight of his bruised and bloodied hand. He shook his head and smiled sadly. "This is coming from the FBI's most wanted fugitive."

He watched as Reddington shook his head and shrugged. "You will Donald. You love Lizzie with all that you are. That makes you protective and territorial. Throwing a helpless baby into the mix will magnify those feelings tenfold, I assure you."

He eyed the old man before glancing quickly at his watch. At seeing the time Ressler moved towards his vehicle. He shook his head before opening his door and slipping inside. He fixed Reddington with a glare before waving a quick hand between them. "This little adventure stays between us. We clear Reddington?"

A knowing smiled formed on the criminal's lips as he shrugged. "Lizzie won't even know you were gone." He raised his hand and continued with a smirk. "Scout's honor."

Ressler rolled his eyes and gunned the engine before sliding onto the dirt road that would take him back into the city. He blatantly ignored the sound of a single gunshot coming from the direction of the abandoned warehouse. He envisioned Reddington giving directions to Mr. Kaplan and her crew before slipping into the night, undetected. As he drove through late traffic he wondered if sneaking out and taking out bad guys off the clock would become a regular thing in order to protect Liz. In thinking of Liz his thoughts turned to the small life that he helped create. He wondered if it would be a boy or girl; if they would have his or Liz's eyes. He off handedly hoped for his kid's sake that they got Liz's dark hair.

In musing about his future as a father he almost missed the hospital's entrance. As he slipped back into Liz's room he sighed at having made his self-imposed hour deadline. He sat watching his partner sleep and only hoped that Reddinton's assumptions of him being a good father proved to be true.


End file.
